Warp knitting machine



Nov. 7, 1950 R. aAsslsf 2,529,241

WARP KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 5, 1946 INVENTOR EUDOLPH BASS/5T BY 2 H fiTORNE? Patented Nov. 7, 1950 WARP KNITTING MACHINE Rudolph Bassist, New York, N. Y., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Futura Fabrics Corporation, a corporation of New York Application May 3, 1946, Serial No. 666,985

Claims.

My present invention relates generally to knitting machines, and has particular reference to so-called warp knitting machines.

In a warp knitting machine, the yarn is initially wound on one or more warp beams and is directed in parallel rows to a bank of needles which operate in a predetermined intermittent manner to interengage the threads to produce a knitted fabric of the jersey type. The yarn is directed to the needles by one or more guide-bars through which the individual strands are threaded and by means of Which the threads are looped around the needles or otherwise subjected to their operation, in a predetermined manner and sequence, depending upon the particular pattern or style of knitted fabric which is to be produced. A main driving shaft (hereinafter referred to as a cam shaft) is associated with means for intermittently moving the needles through the knitting cycle. Also actuated by the cam shaft is a means for imparting a predetermined intermittent movement to each of the guide-bars, these movements being so timed and controlled, relative to the needle operation, that the strands are suitably looped around or otherwise subjected to the action of the needles in accordance with a predetermined plan. The machine may employ either one or more warp beams, and there is a separate guide-bar for each. For the sake of simplicity, the features of the present invention will be described in connection with a single warp beam.

The present invention is not necessarily restricted in its applicability to any particular kind of warp knitting machine, but is of particular utility in connection with the high-speed knitting machines of the so-called Tricot type, employing approximately 28 to 34 needles per inch and operating at speeds up to about 600 courses or stitches per minute.

It is a general object of the invention to provide certain improvements in the general type of knitting machines referred to in my earlier patents, No. 2,303,903, No. 2 334,058, and No. 2,361,526. Unlike the conventional warp knitting machine, in which the threads are drawn from the warp beam by a pulling action initiated by the needles and guide-bar, this type of machine is characterized by the employment of a means for continuously rotating the warp beam in yarnfeeding direction in predetermined timed relation to the knitting cycle, independent of any pulling action upon or by the yarn itself, the movements of the warp beam being regulatable during uninterrupted operation of the machine to synchronize the thread feed with the fluctuating requirements of the needles and guide-bar.

The present invention provides improved means for imposing predetermined regulatory components of movement upon the continuously rotating warp beam, and the operation is predicated in part upon special capabilities of a fluid motor whose output may be expeditiously varied, not only by regulating the quantity of fluid supplied to it, but also by adjusting the motor to vary the driving effect of the fluid. Fluid motors are Well known per se, and I prefer to employ the type of variable-output motor in which the driven shaft is actuated by a plurality of fluid-driven pistons mounted in a circumferential bank in a common cylinder block which is articulated to the driven shaft by a universal joint or its equiv alent. In a motor of this character, the driving impulses of the pistons are responsive not only to the quantity of fluid fed to them, but also to the angular disposition of the axis of the cylinder block with respect to the axis of the driven shaft.

By associating a motor of this kind with the Warp beam, there may be imparted to the warp beam a continuous rotative movement which is conveniently regulatable in the two Ways indicated, i. e., by varying the fluid supplied to the motor, and also by actuating an adjustable control which varies the angularity between the cylinder block and the driven shaft and thereby varies the effective driving force of the fluid. The regulatory means may be of any desired kind, and may be caused to be responsive to any desired variables incident to the operation of the machine. For example, the supply of driving fluid may be regulated to establish the desired basic timed relation to the knitting cycle, while simultaneously a means responsive to the diminishing diameter of the Warp beam (as thread is withdrawn from it) may be caused to act continuously upon the adjustable motor control and thereby automatically impose upon the warp beam a compensatory regulation of its continuous movement.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the fluid supply is made available by a pump which is driven by the cam shaft, and this pump is of a construction analogous to that of the fluid motor, but operated in reverse fashion, i. e., it

has a driving shaft articulated to a cylinder block by a universal joint or its equivalent, and the rotation of the driving shaft is operable to move a plurality of pistons in predetermined sequence to pump a fluid at a rate which is responsive (a) to the speed of the driving shaft and (b) to the angularity of the cylinder block to the driving shaft. Here too, therefore, there are two means for varying the delivery of the pump, each or both of which may be utilized to impose the desired regulatory movements to the warp beam.

In this preferred association of instrumentalities, the variable-delivery fluid pump converts the mechanical energy of the cam shaft into variable fluid delivery, and the variable-output fluid motor reconverts this fluid power into mechanical power for driving the warp beam, thus affording a highly eliicient adjustable transmission mechanism between the cam shaft and the warp beam.

One way of achieving the foregoing general objects and advantages, and embodying the features of the invention in a practical machine, is illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the elements entering into the present improved construction, shown in association with a typical warp knitting machine depicted'in fragmentary end elevation; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the essential mechanical elements of a variable-delivery fluid pump of the character preferably employed, and of the variable-output fluid motor.

In the warp knitting machine illustratively and partially shown in Figure 1, a suitable framework It supports the various operating parts. I have illustratively shown the machine provided with a warp beam II from which the threads l2 emanate'in the direction of the arrow. After passing over suitable guides, including, for ex ample, a tension bar I3, the threads ultimately travel to the needles of the machine. These needles, as well as the guide-bar which cooperates with them and through which the strands of yarn are individually threaded, are not shown in the present drawings, since they are well known per se. It will suffice to point out that the guide-bar and needles are in the region of the machine designated by the reference numeral l4, and that the resultant knitted fabric is automatically wound on the collecting beam l5 as it is manufactured.

The main driving shaft or cam shaft of the machine is designated by the reference numeral Hi. It extends in a longitudinal direction with respect to the machine as a whole, and is driven by a motor or other suitable motive power in well-known fashion. It carries such cams and other driving elements as may be required, to transmit the predetermined driving impetus to the various elements of the machine. Among the other elements which it actuates is a suitable pattern control which I have chosen to illustrate in the form of a pattern wheel ll which is continuously rotated. The periphery of the pattern wheel is provided with a predetermined series of raised and depressed portions I8 which Serve to impart longitudinal movements to the guide-bar in a predetermined sequence and of predetermined magnitudes. One illustrative way of achieving this is shown in the right-hand portion of Figure 2 of my aforementioned Patent 2,361,526.

The projections and depressions of the pattern wheel I! may be integral portions of the wheel, or, as is preferred, they may be provided for by means of suitable elements or links separably mounted on the pattern wheel in predetermined spaced relationships. A pattern wheel of this general character is well-known per se, and is merely illustrative of a general type of pattern control which may be employed for the purpose. For example, a continuously moving chain or the like may be driven by the cam shaft, the chain being made up of separable links and serving to control the longitudinal movements of the guide-bar by means of selected contours, projections, depressions, or the like, on the periphery or sides of the links or other equivalent elements.

The movements of the guide-bar, both forward and back and longitudinal, control the disposition of the yarn with respect to the needles, looping it successively around predetermined needles, or otherwise bringing it into the range of operation of the needles, or into association with strands emanating from other warp beams. all in accordance with a predetermined plan or pattern which manifests itself in the operative contour of the pattern wheel I? or its equivalent. It is obvious that this mode of operation, wellknown per se, imposes varying requirements upon:

the thread feed. In accordance with my invention; it is possible to conform the yarn feed with considerable accuracy to these varying requirements, notwithstanding the fact that the warp beam is continuously rotated quite independently of any clutch or brake mechanism depending for r' I have shown how the output shaft 22 of this motor may be operatively connected to the warp beam, for driving the latter in the direction of the arrow, through the illustrative intermediary of a worm 23 and a worm wheel 24. At 25 I have indicated an adjustable motor control by means of which the driving effect of the fluid may be varied. The control shown is in the form of a stem adapted to be moved longitudinally, in and out, but any other convenient control may be used, if desired.

The fluid motor 19, including the adjustable control exemplified by the stem 25, is well-known per se and has therefore not been illustrated in detail. Essentially, it comprises an association of parts as indicated in Figure 2. is articulated, by means of a universal joint or its equivalent (indicated at 36), to a cylinder block 2'? within which a plurality of cylinder bores 28 are formed in a circumferentially-disposed bank with their axes parallel to the main axis of the block 2?. In each bore there is a piston, such as the piston shown at 29, and these to rotate, and the universal joint connection be-v tween this shaft and the cylinder block 2'! permit simultaneous rotation of the latter. Obviously, the driving effect of the fluid is influenced, in part, by the angularity between the axes of the cylinder block 2'! and the shaft 26. a For example, if the axes are brought into align ment, the driving effect is diminished to zero, and

as the angle is increased (within the mechanical limits afforded by the construction) the driving effect is correspondingly increased. The adjust- The shaft 26.

5. able control 25 (not shown in Figure 2) alters this angularity.

Viewing Figure 2 as a motor, the shaft 26 is a driven shaft and corresponds to the output shaft 22 of Figure 1.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driving fluid is supplied by a variable-delivery fluid pump 33 of similar construction and mode of operation. In this case, however, the instrument operates to convert the mechanical power of a rotating shaft into a variable fluid output, i. e., a rotative force applied to the shaft 2" of the mechanism indicated in Figure 2 produces a variable pumping action which is again aiTected, in part, by the angularity between the axis of the shaft 26 and the axis of the cylinder block 27. An adjustable control (shown as a stem control at 34 in Figure 1) alters this angularity. When the axes are in alignment, the pumping effect is zero, and as the angularity increases, the amount of fluid pumped by the device increases correspondingly.

Viewing Figure 2 as a pump, the shaft 25 is a driving shaft and corresponds to the input shaft 35 of Figure 1. I have illustratively shown how this input or driving shaft may be connected to the cam shaft It by means of meshing beveled gears 31.

Where the fluid pump 33 and the fluid motor l9 are used in the series connection shown, they are preferably connected to associated apparatus as shown in Figure 1, in which 38 designates a motor (independently and continuously driven) which drives a constant-delivery pump 39 for continuously drawing fluid through the pipe 40 from a reservoir 4! and delivering it through pipe 42 to the fluid system to maintain a constant supply at fixed pressure. The pipes 43 take care of surplus fluid and serve to return it to the reservoir 4|. The by-pass 45 and the relief valve 44 are also desirable parts of the fluid system indicated, which is well-known per se.

In its applicability to a warp knitting machine, as shown in Figure 1, it is obvious that the pump 33 serves to convert the mechanical power of the cam shaft 16 into a delivery of fluid to the motor I9, and that the latter serves to reconvert this energy into mechanical power which drives the warp beam. The latter is thus continuously driven in yarn-feeding direction in timed relation to the operation of the cam shaft. This transmission is admirably suited to receive regulatory impulses, without interrupting the machine operation, for superimposing on the warp beam certain components of movement which are responsive to selected variables incident to the machine's functioning.

Thus, by way of exam-ple, I have shown the pattern wheel I! operatively associated with the adjustable pump control 34, and I have shown how the adjustable motor control 25 may be actuated by a cam 46 responsive to diminishing warp beam diameter by virtue of a feeler arm 4'! bearing lightly but constantly upon the mass of yarn on the warp beam under the influence of a spring or the like (not shown) and secured at its opposite end to the spindle on which the cam 46 is mounted. The effect will be readily understood. In accurate synchronism with the guidebar movements, and the varying yarn requirements thus created, the pump control 34 adjusts the pump 33 to deliver correspondingly varied amounts of driving fluid through the motor l9, and the basic movement of the warp beam is thus correspondingly altered to increase or decrease the yarn feed by corresponding"" -incre- At the same time, the diminishing ments. diameter of the yarn mounted on the warp beam is reflected in'corresponding adjustments of the motor control 25, thereby imposing compensatory movements upon the warp beam.

Among the advantages of the present invention are those which are inherent in fluid controls generally, such as the ability to vary speeds, protection against overloading, self-lubrication, and great flexibility of use. The particular utility of a fluid drive and a fluid transmission in connection with knitting machines, and the varied ways in which the available controls may be utilized to enhance the smooth operation. of a warp knitting machine of the character de-. scribed, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. 7

Of course, it will be understood that either of the adjustable controls 25 and 34 may be employed without the other, or that they may both be simultaneously employed, as shown. And either of them may be operatively associated-with any selected regulatory. means. Such a regulatory means might, for example, be actuated by the tension bar I3, or by any other element, forming part of the knitting machine or provided as an accessory therefor, whose fluctuating movements are responsive to, or are in an way proportional to, variations making it necessary or desirable to afiect the warp beam movements in corresponding and synchronized fashion.

It will therefore be understood that the depictions in the present drawings of the pattern wheel l1 and the diameter control 46 are merely illustrative of regulatory means which may be employed. In the case of the diameter control, for example, this need not be of the particular nature shown. Thus, the diminishing diameter of the warp beam has a tendency gradually to increase the yarn tension, and this may be caused to manifest itself in deflections of a tension bar, such as that shown at l3, these deflections being utilizable to actuate one or the other of the adjustable controls 25 and 34; or any other mechanism may be employed, whether it be mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, or otherwise, to reflect diminishing diameter of the warp beam and translate such Variations into corresponding adjustments of the fluid transmission.

Other possible ramifications of the invention reside in the ability to associate the present fluid transmission with other transmission elements and combinations of devices, as shown for example in my Patent No. 2,361,526. Thus, in the connection between the present cam shaft l6 and the input shaft 35 of the pump 33, a pair of elliptical gears might be inserted, such as those shown in my Patent No. 2,334,058; and similarly, any additional change-speed device, speed reducer, or other movement-controlling instrumentality may be interposed between the cam shaft and the input end of the present fluid transmission or between its output end and the warp beam which it drives.

In general, it will be understood that those skilled in the art may make changes in the details herein described and illustrated without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. It is therefore intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention and il- 7, lustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a warp knitting machine, a cam shaft, a warp beam, adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to said cam shaft for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable-output fluid motor, means for varying the output of said motor, and regulatory means operatively connected to' said outputvarying means and responsive to the diminishing quantity of yarn on said warp beam for automatically effecting compensatory variations in the warp beammovements. y

2; In a warp knitting machine, a cam shaft, a warp. beam, adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to said cam shaft for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable-output fluid motor, means for varying the output of said motor, said means comprising an adjustable control on said motor for varying the driving effect of the driving fluid delivered to saidmotor, and, regulatory means operatively connected to said adjustable control for automatically effecting predetermined variations in the warp beam movements. I

3; In awarp knitting machine, a cam shaft, a Warp beam, adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to said cam shaft for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable-outputfluid motor, means for varying the output of saidmotor, said means comprising an adjustable control on said motor for varying the driving effect of the driving fluid delivered to said motor, andregulatorymeans operatively connected to .said. adjustable control and responsive to the diminishing quantity of yarn on said warp beam for automatically effecting compensatory variations in the warp beam movements.

4. In a warp knitting machine, a cam shaft, a warp beam and adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to the cam shaft for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable output fluid motor, a pump driven by the cam shaft and adapted to convert the mechanical power of said shaft into the delivery of fluid to said motor, an adjustable control on said pump for varying said fluid delivery, andanother adjustable control on said motor for independently varying the driving effect of the fluid delivered.

5-. In a warp knitting machine, a cam shaft, a warp beam and adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to the cam shaft for'continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variableoutput fluid motor, a pump driven by the cam shaft and adapted to convert the mechanical power of said shaft into the delivery of fluid to said motor, adjustable controls on said pump and motor for respectively varying the quantity of fluid delivered by the pump and the driving e;- fect of said fluid, and regulatory means operatively connected to at least one of said adjustable controls for automatically effecting predetermined variations in the warp beam movements.

6, In awarp knitting machine, a cam shaft, a warp .beam and adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to the cam shaft for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variableoutput fluid. motor, a pump driven by the cam shaft' and adapted to convert the mechanical power of said shaft into the delivery of fluid to said motor, adjustable controls on said pump and motor for respectively varying the quantity of fluid delivered by the pump and the driving effect of said fluid, and independent regulatory means operatively connected to said adjustable controls, respectively, for conjointly automatically effecting predetermined variations in the Warp beam movements.

7. In a warp knitting machine, the combination of elements set forth in claim 6, one of said regulatory means being responsive to the diminishing quantity of yarn on said warp beam.

8. In a warp knitting machine, the combination of elements set forth in claim 6, one of said regulatory means being responsive to the diminishing quantity of yarn on said warp beam, the other of said regulatory means being responsive to the varying yarn requirements of a predetermined knitting plan.

9. In a warp knitting machine, a cam shaft, a.

rotatable warp beam, and adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to said cam shaft for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarnfeeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable-output fluid motor and means for varying the output of said motor, said means comprising a means for varying the quantity of driving fluid delivered to said motor, and also an adjustable control on said motor for varying the driving effect of said fluid.

10. In a warp knitting machine, a cam shaft, a rotatable warp beam, and adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to said cam shaft for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarnfeeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable-output fluid motor and means for varymechanism operated in timed relation to the knitting cycle for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable-output fluid motor and means for varying the output of said motor, said motor comprising a plurality of fluid-driven pistons mounted in a circumferential bank in a common cylinder block, a driven shaft, and a universal-joint articulation between said block and said driven shaft, said output-varying means comprising an adjustable control for altering the angularity between the axis of said cylinder block and the axis of said driven shaft.

12. In a warp knitting machine, a rotatable warp beam adapted to furnish yarn to needles moving through a knitting cycle, and adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to the knitting cycle for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable-output fluid motor and means for varying the output of said motor, said output-varying means comprising a variable-delivery fluid pump arranged to deliver fluid to said motor and means for adjusting said pump to vary its output, said pump comprising a driving shaft, a plurality of fluid-driving pistons mounted in a circumferential bank in a common cylinder block, and a universal-joint articulation between said driving shaft and said block, said pump-adjusting means comprising an adjustable control for altering the angularity between the axis of said driving shaft and the axis of said cylinder block.

13. In a warp knitting machine, a rotatable warp beam adapted to furnish yarn to needles moving through a knitting cycle, and adjustable mechanism operated in timed relation to the knitting cycle for continuously rotating said warp beam in yarn-feeding direction, said mechanism comprising a variable-output fluid motor and means for varying the output of said motor, said motor comprising a plurality of fluid-driven pistons mounted in a circumferential bank in a common cylinder block, a driven shaft, and a universal-joint articulation between said block and said driven shaft, said output-varying means comprising (a) a variable-delivery fluid pump arranged to deliver fluid to said motor, and means for adjusting said pump to vary its output, and (b) an adjustable control for altering the angularity between the axis of said cylinder block and the axis of said driven shaft.

14. In a warp knitting machine, the combination of elements set forth in claim 13, said pump comprising a driving shaft, a plurality of fluiddriving pistons mounted in a circumferential bank in a common cylinder block, and a universal-joint articulation between said driving shaft and said block, said pump-adjusting means com- 10 prising an adjustable control for altering the angularity between the axis of said driving shaft and the axis of said cylinder block.

15. A drive for the warp beam of a fabric making machine comprising a positive displacement pump unit coupled to the machine to be driven thereby, a fluid motor unit hydraulically connected to the pump and mechanically connected to drive the warp beam, each of said units being of the variable displacement type, means responsiveto the changing diameter ofthe warp beam for varying the displacement of one unit, and means for varying the displacement of the other unit independently of warp beam diameter. 7

- I RUDOLPH BASSIST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,977,729 Lieberknecht Oct, 23, 1934 2,334,058 Bassist Nov. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 624,642 Germany Jan. 25, 19 36 

